A small black-and-white photograph, yellowed with age, shows Grahamstown Sheriff Annerie Wolmarans as a young girl on the back of a donkey.
A small black-and-white photograph, yellowed with age, shows Grahamstown Sheriff Annerie Wolmarans as a young girl on the back of a donkey.
Her face smiles towards the camera and her hands rest on the donkey’s neck. “When my parents died, my brother found this,” she says. “All my life, donkeys have been very special to me. They are very clever.” All animals are close to Wolmarans’ heart.
She rescues tortoises from the surrounding township areas, and stray cats and dogs. Yet it is donkeys that have inspired her to continue her efforts for the last 30 years in caring for them in this frontier town.
Her office in High Street is scattered with various ornaments and pictures of donkeys. Her border collie, Lucy, lies quietly in the centre of the room.
Wolmarans started the Makana Donkey Association (MDA) 16 years ago. It holds two clinics a month at Nombulelo High School to treat donkeys, and once a month an assistant from Port Elizabeth travels to Grahamstown to help groom the animals.
According to Annerie, there are close to 400 donkeys in Grahamstown. She also receives support from members of Rhodes Organisation for Animal Rights (Roar). “They are fantastic,” she says. “They collect money, and help at clinics.” She points to a poster on the wall behind her desk with various photographs of donkeys, and smiles.
“One of the girls from Roar made this for me.” Once a year in October to coincide with Animal Week the MDA holds a donkey carnival where donkeys and carts parade through the city.
“There are prizes for the nicest cart, best cared for donkey, and the owner who takes the best care of their donkeys.” Before the carnival, the MDA asks business owners in Grahamstown to sponsor a cart for R300. “That money is used to fix carts and treat donkeys.
Leftover money is for food for donkeys.” The sponsor’s name is then proudly displayed on the cart. The mistreatment of donkeys is a pressing issue in Grahamstown. “I get very cross when owners whip their donkeys to make them go faster,” she says softly. “They have belts made from tyres.
I tell them, ‘don’t do that, because that donkey makes your life.’” Wolmarans has considered banning donkey carts in Grahamstown. “It was done in Uitenhage,” she says. “But a lot of people here depend on them for work.” Donkey carts help with collecting firewood and moving furniture.
Wolmarans wants to limit the number of donkeys one person can own to four, and register donkeys in their owner’s name. The SPCA often has callouts to rescue burnt donkeys. “Sometimes a donkey strays into a garden and gets boiling water thrown on it,” she explains.
“The owner of the garden then says the donkey was eating their vegetables.” When there is a fight between donkey owners, it is these defenceless animals that bear the brunt of the argument because it is the “easiest way to put that person out of action”.
Helping these animals is always on her agenda. Annerie has sent several letters to the municipality outlining her proposal to establish a resting ground for donkeys at night. There is space for two grounds near Extensions 7 and 9 and Sun City in Vukani.
Donkeys would be brought in at nighttime with the cart, and owners would take turns to keep watch. To guard against theft, each owner receives a disc specifying which donkeys belong to him. But Wolmarans has not received a response from the municipality yet.
“Donkeys do not seem to be a high priority for them,” she says. But setbacks like this have not discouraged her. “I’m going to write another letter.
I spoke to the mayor recently about this issue, and he supports my proposal. All I want is for the municipality to fence it. From there we will be fine.” Annerie says she has a lot of support from the traffic department and SPCA. If she comes across ill-cared for donkeys, she calls the SPCA and “they come in seconds”. A donkey cart owner, Cassie, is making Wolmarans a cart of her own for special occasions. “Like the carnival, or when I want to show off!” she laughs.
“It’s light and very lovely. I’m going to tame two of my donkeys.” Annerie has seven donkeys that stay on her friend’s farm. Life on a farm suits donkeys well. “They bond with sheep and look after them. One donkey can take care of 400 sheep for life.” Wolmarans’ eyes sparkle when she speaks of their intelligence.
“A donkey cart with stolen goods was found. The owners had run away. The police took in the goods and called me to collect the donkeys.They didn’t know what to do with them.”
She set the donkeys free and waited. Eventually they made their way home, leading the police to the robbers. “They always know the way home,” she says. Later we meet Cassie.
His donkeys stand side by side, reined in, waiting patiently with their heads down and thick lashes shielding their eyes. “They have the cross of God on them,” she explains, pointing to the darker line of hair that runs down a donkey’s neck and back, and down both sides of its front body to form a cross.
“I think that donkeys are the most special animals to God. We can’t ignore donkeys. They will be here forever.”
